Bonus

Zoli

Veteran Expediter
Hi!Question for owners:
Can you please give me some bonus ideas for a team in straight truck? I need some cause-efect kind of examples. If they do.... I give them....
Thank you
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
First establish some objectives for achievement that are either quatifiable or observable. These might include:
  • Maintain an availability for dispatch percentage of 70%
  • Maintain a 9 mile per gallon or better average.
  • Maintain the truck in a safe operating condition and/or report all deficiencies in a timely manner. If driver repairs the truck, share the saved mechanic charges.
  • Have no moving violations, logbook violations, and no driver controllable negative DOT reports.
  • Determine the average same truck operation revenue with your carrier and recognize performance exceeding the average.
A common bonus is giving the driver a 5% revenue bonus if they exceed a set dollar limit in a month. i.e. bring in $15,000 in a calendar month and driver receives 65% vice 60%

Use your imagination and talk over some ideas with your drivers. Whatever you decide, make sure to include it into your written contract​
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
When we drove fleet owner trucks, two of the owners would pay our tolls if our in service numbers were 80% or higher. If you offer that bonus, be sure to be clear about the specified time period in which the bonus applies. In service numbers fluctuate week to week, month to month, and quarter to quarter.

A quarterly bonus tied to in service numbers seems reasonable. It allows the driver(s) flexibility to get home and time to keep the numbers above 80% by getting back out on the road. For safety reasons, I would recommend against bonusing in service time over 80%.

After we stopped driving fleet owner trucks and got into a truck of our own, our carrier started paying tolls or portions of them as part of the run pay. If you run trucks with that carrier (FedEx Custom Critical), that may muddy the toll bonus waters a bit. Still, a tolls-paid bonus is something to consider
 
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Critter Truckin

Expert Expediter
I would say that tolls for an owner that pays fuel is a no-brainer. We run for a fleet owner, and because he pays fuel, he pays tolls. Actually, we pay them, and he reimburses us, but that's off subject.

Somthing like Terry and/or Rene said would work. If you bring in $x, anything above x gets you a bonus. 5% is the norm that I've heard. Express-1 had something if the truck ran for 7500 miles a month for a team, then they got an extra 10cpm. 5000 for solos. They did away with it though for whatever reason.

I would argue against a set milage number, because 5000 miles may only make you $6000 miles in a month for one company and $7000 for another.
 
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